Ouka
THE closer they drew to the Great Bell Tower, the more broken and destroyed Golems they found littering the corridor.
Ouka spoke to Lovel behind him, noting the aftermath, “Now this is something! Looks like your guess was right on the mark.”
“Yeah. Cliff and the others have passed through here already.”
But the current Rabbis couldn’t even slow them down. Ouka hurried toward their destination, his disappointment in the Church’s steady decline growing stronger.
They finally exited into the courtyard containing the bell tower after traversing several long corridors. Ouka heard the tail end of Kiriko’s earsplitting shriek.
“HURRY, DRAM!”
Dram galloped toward the bell tower. Four figures stormed out of the door right when Dram tried to duck inside.
“Whoa!”
Ouka brought Dram to a stop at the last second before collision. The figures he saw racing out the door skidded to a halt in front of him too. Erie, Heath, Gandolf, and Cliff blinked at Ouka and Lovel.
“HEY…!” Cliff shouted.
“Lovel?!” Erie exclaimed. Lovel wordlessly slid off Dram’s back.
“Lovel…!” Cliff repeated her name with pure joy. She ran over to him, grabbed his shoulders, and then plunged into a scolding.
“You stupid dork! Why’d you come?! Making the Church your enemy means losing your chance at a peaceful life, not to mention crawling your way to the top!” Her voice shook.
Cliff smiled at her. “I’ve already got their target on my back. So that ship’s sailed.”
“Don’t just give up and abandon yourself to recklessness. Don’t you have a bright future ahead of you?”
“You’ve got one too. I’ve come to save your future for you.”
Lovel fell silent for a brief moment before a gentle smile emerged on her face. “Don’t you go talking like a big-shot when you’re still just a kid…”
“You’re just as much of a kid as I am, Lovel.”
They laughed at each other. Erie warmly watched over them.
But Ouka went and cut the heartfelt moment short. “Okay, kiddos, now ain’t the time for a heartwarming reunion, don’t ya think?”
Ouka’s statement brought them back to the situation at hand. Cliff peered at the bell tower over his shoulder. “Y-You’re right! Miss Kiriko is hot on our tail!”
“Really? …She’ll be coming here?” Ouka ruminated over the opportunity and dismounted Dram.
“Ouka, what are you planning?” Lovel asked him.
“You kiddies get outta here. I’ll stay behind.”
Erie raised her voice in surprise. “Ouka, you’ll be caught if you stay!”
“I’ve got reason enough for seein’ her to risk it.” He noticed numerous shadows crawling around inside the bell tower as he spoke. “See? The scary lady’s come for you. You kids better hurry if you don’t want a spanking.”
The kids nodded at his second warning and made a break for it. Ouka didn’t move his eyes from the door. It wasn’t long before Kiriko appeared with Legion.
“Yo, Kiriko.”
Kiriko returned his casual greeting with a stern death glare. “Out of my way, Ouka.”
“Now, just hold your pretty horses. I’ve got something to discuss with you.”
“And I have nothing to discuss with you. I shall save arresting you for later, so move aside and let me get those children first.”
“Do it after you hear me out.”
Legion surrounded Ouka. But he kept his eyes trained on Kiriko.
“Must I have you mangled to get the point across? Shut up and get out of my way, Ouka.”
“Drop the threats and hear me out! You’ve made a huge mistake!”
“What mistake?”
“Those kids aren’t who you need to go after! Our enemy is elsewhere!”
“Our…? OUR? You and I are of a completely different breed! There is no us or our!” The look in her eyes and the tone of her voice had dramatically switched. “You are an Illegal Golem Artificer, and I am a Rabba! Have you forgotten?! And my duty is to prevent those cubes and Sephiroth from ever stepping foot into the world!”
The sadness in her eyes felt deeper than the anger to Ouka. Pinning him with those eyes, she said, “You, of all people, should understand. This is about the only thing I can do for Alita…”
“Alita’s enemy is who I need to talk to you about! Just give me a second of your time and look at this file!” Ouka yelled, reaching his hand into his shirt for the file. When he did, Legion attacked him as one. They punched him with their fists instead of gouging him with claws. “Agh!”
Twelve tiny fists pounded him like the sea’s raging waves against a rocky shoreline. Ouka took the punches to every part of his body and buckled over. And that was when other Rabbis rushed into the courtyard.
Kiriko walked away, issuing orders to her subordinates on the way out. “This man is one of the intruders. Please apprehend him.”
“Wait, Kiriko! PLEASE WAIT!”
No matter how desperately he called for her, Kiriko didn’t turn around. Ouka ground his teeth and faced the incoming Rabbis.
“I can’t let myself get caught now…!” He staggered to his feet and gripped his quarterstaff.
✦ ✦ ✦
Cliff
THEIR sheer strength blew every enemy away in overwhelming victory. A single straight punch from Gandolf smashed the forehead of a Copper Golem that blocked their passage through the winding corridors. A troop of Wood Golems swarmed in from behind the fallen Copper Golem, but with the gleam of Heath’s knife, their foreheads were sliced through one after another.
Their “e” destroyed, the Wood Golems crumbled away in concert. Heath slammed into the Rabbis who tried to flee, knocking them unconscious. Just two Golems were taking down each and every wave of enemies.
It’s scary, even though they’re on our side! Cliff swallowed hard in the face of their immense fighting capabilities. The corridors they passed through had mountains of wrecked Golems piled high, as if a tornado had blown through instead of three kids and two Golems.
“We can do this! Let’s keep this pace going and escape!” Lovel cheered as she ran.
Cliff nodded and looked to Erie. “Erie, is Boulder still alive?”
“I’m sorry, our link is too weak to tell,” she answered apologetically.
If Boulder was still functioning and they managed to regroup with him, they would really have nothing to fear. It was worth checking the chapel. As they came to that conclusion, they saw a massive destroyed door ahead. Beyond it laid an awe-inspiring, massive chamber Cliff once saw in passing.
“That’s the chapel!”
The desolated chapel looked like it had been through a hurricane before they arrived. No Rabbis were around. Had they given up because they were unable to take on Boulder? Whatever the case, the main gate would be just ahead once they passed through the chamber. Reassured that escape lay just a room away, Cliff and the others began to traverse the chapel—only to abruptly skid to a stop.
Before they finished stepping foot into the chamber, they spotted Boulder, smashed to pieces in a corner. Shudders shot down Cliff’s spine. His instincts screamed at him in warning. The person who defeated Boulder was still here. Somebody dreadfully strong was waiting for them!
“R-RUN!”
The group spun around and fled. But they heard a click behind them before they got very far. Cliff found the tight, dry sound unfamiliar. It didn’t sound like a normal Golem’s footsteps.
The presence that caused him to shake with dread approached them from behind. Cliff realized the true source of his fear—it was the same type of bloodlust Jair exuded.
Cliff forced his scared-stiff legs to move and bolted. The crack of a gunshot rang behind him the moment he did.
“…!”
The kids instinctively stopped and turned around. Thin gunpowder smoke curled into the air by the chapel entrance. A man and something appeared from the entrance with clicking footsteps.
Lovel saw him and bitterly spat, “Spinoza…!”
“I’ve finally found you, naughty children.”
Something atrocious and eerily terrifying stood beside the man named Spinoza. A deathly white, sinister symbol of death—a skeleton. With a beige mantle tossed over its bare bone body, it looked just like the Grim Reaper. The letters spelling emeth engraved its forehead underneath a wide-brimmed hat. Four arms jutted out from the mantle, each armed with gleaming black revolvers.